David Cook returns to the Idol stage performing his single "Heartbeat". | American Idol

DAVID COOK AND THE AMERICAN IDOL SEASON THAT CHANGED THE GAME | A renewed look at the 2008 finale that crowned a rock-driven winner. We revisit one of American Idol’s most talked-about finales, when two very different voices—David Cook and David Archuleta—took Season 7 down to the wire. At a time when the Idol phenomenon had largely favored female winners, this showdown put male pop and rock back at the center of the conversation. We return to the debate that split audiences: Archuleta’s clean-c